Stocking New 20 Gal

This is a discussion on Stocking New 20 Gal within the Beginner Freshwater Aquarium forums, part of the Freshwater Fish and Aquariums category; -->
Hey, I've got my firs Tank all set up, its a 18 Gallon, tank
i've got a penguin bio wheel filter, a heater, everything ...

I'd start by finding out what sort of water you've got - hardness and pH. Different fish like different water and you should get some that suit what you've got.

Then look at the fish profiles for the fish you're interested in (second tab from the left at the top of the forum) to see whether they suit your water and your size tank. 18 gallon isn't very big, so it may not be big enough for either of those sharks. Have a read of the profile for those fish and see what they say. If you can narrow down your selection by what suits your water and tank then you can ask for more info as to whether what you like can go in the same tank.

(As one idea, I had platies, pristella tetras and cories in my 75-litre (20 gallon))

Hello!
Firstly water parameters and such would be helpfull, so we can suggest correct ideas.
Angel fish are a no no in 20G unless a mated breeding pair....And the minimum is a 55g with 5-6....
5 Cory Cats are good for the bottom, then a group of 8-6 neons or maybe even 2 small groups of 6...
Then maybe some hatchet fish for the top and a few central fish??? Some one else can give you more soon............

All the fish that have been mentioned so far (except betta) are softwater fish, meaning they prefer soft water. Some people don't pay attention to this part of the water chemistry, but I try to make sure the hardness is in the prefered range (better for overall health and health). Don't overlook the pH either.

Some people have really hard water from their tap, so maybe you should test your tap (or whatever water source you are useing) to see what yours is. You can never go wrong testing your water!

Unfortunately not. Angelfish should be in a group and they need a much bigger tank than yours (it was only when I got my 250-litre that I might have had angels).

Bettas are better off alone. People have managed to put them in a tank with other fish, but it needs to be a BIG tank with lots of vegetation where the betta can establish his own bit of territory and, even then, it depends on the betta as to whether there'll be fights or not. Definitely no betta in a small tank with other fish. It'd be fight club.

You could get the small schooling fish (not a huge number, you'd need to figure out how many would fit in your tank) and the cories though. You could maybe have a dwarf gourami as your "big" fish, a group of tetras and cories.

Tanker has set you in the right path. In what is technically speaking a small tank, your fish options are limited. The other issue in smaller spaces is behaviour; fish can take on aggression more in small spaces just for that reason, lack of space for their territory, so be sure to note the info under Compatibility in the profiles. There are lots of small colourful fish that will do well, especially with some live plants; no mention has been made of your tap water parameters, and that can be a major influence depending upon what they are. The "Ideal Water Parameter" sdection covers this in the profile of each fish species.

This seems to me to be much the same as your other thread on the 18g tank...if it is, I can merge the two. It is better to keep one thread for a topic, otherwise it can be more difficult for members to remain on track, and seeing the other responses often helps more.

Having said that, on to your question. I would not put Black Ruby Barb in a 20g; if you note in the profile it says this fish reaches 2.5 inches and should be kept in a group of at least 6, which means a 30-inch tank minimum to accommodate its more active swimming. You can see the profile of a fish by clicking on the shaded name in posts, or use the "Tropical Fish Profiles" tab in the blue bar.

The Celestial Pearl Danio is a miniature fish at under 3/4 of an inch; not a good match for a 2.5 inch barb.

A Betta is not advisable with other fish in so small a space; I assume you would want a male for the beautiful fins; they can be very aggressive--not always, true, but it is in the nature of the fish and you can't change fish nature any more than human nature. I would not include a Betta in a community 20g.

Corys are fine, and 5 is a good number. Tetra is fine, depending upon the fish species selected; some remain smallish and in a group of 6+ would be fine; others need more swimming space and would not be suitable. Similar to Tetra, are the Rasbora in the Trigonostigma genus, like the Harlequin Rasbora, Lambchop Rasbora and Hengels Rasbora. A group of 5-6 of one of these would be nice. Check their profiles.